A Good Shepherd Story of Jesus Emmaus Road Adapted by: Brenda J. Stobbe ~-------.---~---'-------'------------ _.- -... _- -_..._.. - -------_._--------------_._----
.. -----... -.. --.-------------~-------- Illustrations by: Jennifer Schoeneberg 2nd Edition cgooel Shepherd, Inc. 1991, 1992 Gooel Shepherd, a registered trademark of Good Shepherd, Inc. Al! Rights Reserved Printed in U.S.A.
EMMAUS ROAD... MATERIALS - medium wicker basket to hold: - wooden Jesus figure, with pierced hands and side - 2 wooden men figures - brown felt road 1
Jesus Men 2
EMMAUS ROAD.. LUKE 24:13-35 ACTIONS After speaking, get the story basket from the shelf and return to the circle. Allow 10-15 seconds of silence as you reverently touch one or more of the wooden figures to center yourself and the children. Place the brown felt road horizontally in front of you and smooth it without speaking. Move the two men about 114 of the way down the road from the right side. Turn the men to face each other occasionall y. Place the Jesus figure next to the two men. Shake your head slowly. Look puzzled. WORDS Watch carefully where I go to get this story so you will know where to find it if you choose to make this your work today or another day. All the words to this story are inside of me. Will you please make silence with me so I can find all the words to this story? It was still Easter Sunday. Later that day two men were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, about seven miles. As they walked they talked about all that had happened in Jerusalem. As they were talking Jesus came near to them and joined them. But they did not recognize him. Then Jesus asked the men, "What is this that you're talking about?" The men stood still and looked sad. Touch one of the wooden men figures. Look puzzled again. One man, named Cleopas, said to Jesus, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem that doesn't know what things happened there in these days?" Jesus asked, "What things?" The men answered, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who said amazing things and did wonderful things. 3
~~------------------------ Gently touch the palms of both hands as you say "crucified." About how our leaders gave him up to be killed and how he was crucified. We had hoped he was the Messiah. Hold up three fingers. Shake your head. Now this is the third day since that happened and some women we know told us an amazing thing. They went to the tomb and couldn't find his body. And they told us of angels who said Jesus was alive. Again shake your head. Touch the Jesus figure. Move the figures off the road and facing each other as though around a table. Lift up an imaginary loaf of bread and break it in half. Touch both men figures. Move the Jesus figure behind you. Put one hand over your heart as you speak. Move the men quickly back to the right end of the road. Some of the disciples went to the tomb, too, and found it empty, but they didn't see the angel. " Then Jesus began talking with the men and he explained all the scriptures starting with the stories of Moses. When they came near to Emmaus the men asked Jesus to stay and have supper with them. At the supper table Jesus took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them. Immediately the men knew who he was. Then Jesus disappeared from them. The men said to each other, "Didn't we have a wonderful feeling inside when he was talking to us on the road?" Then they hurried back to Jerusalem and found the eleven disciples and told them what had happened and how they had known Jesus when he broke the bread. 4
\VONDERING QUESTIONS: I wonder why the men didn't know who Jesus was on the road? I wonder what Jesus said to them when he explained the scriptures? I wonder what was different about Jesus when he broke the bread that made the men recognize him? Place all the wooden figures in the basket, one at a time. Then carefully fold the brown felt road and put it in the basket. After speaking, stand and carry the basket back to its shelf. Return to the circle and sit down. Dismiss the children to their work ONLY after everyone has had an opportunity to choose what they will do. Watch carefully how I put these materials away so you will know how to use them if you choose to make this your work today or another day. Watch carefully where I return this story so you will know where to find it if you choose to make this your work today or another day. I wonder what you will do for your work today. You know many stories. Maybe you will work at making another one your own. Let's begin. EMMAUS ROAD... TEACHER HELPS This is one of the lessons for the season of Easter. The emphasis of the lesson for the children is that Jesus appeared to people other than his disciples after the resurrection. We note, too, that according to this account, the crucifixion of Jesus was an event noted by all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the visitors who were there for the Passover feast. The men on the road are amazed that the stranger doesn't seem to know the events of the last days (Luke 24: 18). This would help us understand that the event of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection was news to all of the city. What do we know of the resurrected Jesus? He obviously did not look unusual. The Emmaus account does not suggest that he looked any different from any other person. He interpreted scripture with a wonderful power. The story does not tell us that it was any more powerful than before in Jesus' life. We know he was willing to eat, although this story does not 5
record Jesus actually eating, but rather, just breaking the bread and blessing it. (However, the following text, Luke 24:36-43, does record Jesus asking for food and then eating.) Notice that it is in the blessing of the food and breaking of the bread that Jesus is known. We know, too, that Jesus had some kind of supernatural powers in that he could vanish at will (see Luke 24:31). Perhaps the greatest purpose of this story is to prove that Jesus, who was dead, is now alive. He has appeared, not only to his disciples, who would be expected to have contact, but to others, such as these two men walking along the road. Jesus' words to the men are another important piece of this story. Here Jesus identifies himself, though they don't realize it, as the Messiah. He doesn't call the one crucified, Jesus, but rather "the Christ" (vs. 26) which means the Messiah. It is important to Jesus at this point to have all those who speak of him understand that he truly is the Messiah, the Savior of Israel and the rest of the world. Wondering questions begin with wondering why Jesus wasn't recognized by the men when he joined them. We don't have an answer. We are not told if Jesus chose to keep his identity hidden, or if the men simply didn't recognize him because they were not prepared for a sequel to the crucifixion. Some children may say that Jesus used magic to keep the men from knowing who he was, while others may say that Jesus looked different somehow from the way he did before his death. Still others may say that the men just didn't look closely at the "stranger" on the road. The second question wonders what Jesus talked about with the men. Some children may say that Jesus told them all kinds of stories from the Bible. We do know, from Luke, that Jesus explained the scriptures to them regarding the Messiah. In other words, Jesus showed the men all the places where a promise had been made for a Messiah and how those things had been fulfilled. The final question wonders about the sudden recognition of Jesus by the men when he broke the bread. We don't have an answer in the scriptures, we are simply told that their eyes were opened. The children again may have very different answers. Some will say that Jesus allowed the men to know who he was at this time. Other children will say that the men finally looked carefully at Jesus. Some of the older ones may believe that the special way Jesus asked for blessings on the food may have been the key. As always, allow the wondering and questioning. Give yourself the opportunity to be amazed by this story of Jesus' appearance to two questioning followers. SUGGESTED DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR OLDER CHILDREN: Why do you imagine the men didn't know Jesus? Were they so involved in their own sadness that they couldn't think about Jesus being alive? Were they so busy with their thoughts that they didn't really look at him? I wonder if he looked different from before? 6
Sometimes there are wonderful teachers who help us understand things we didn't understand before. Jesus was like that for the men on the road. Who is like that for you in school, church or at home? When Jesus broke the bread and fed them the men recognized him. It was a very simple everyday task and yet it made them realize who he was. What mannerism or action are you known for? Think about favorite mealtimes that you have had. What made them special? Was it the food, the company, the time? Friends together at McDonalds can be as special as Christmas dinner for some folks. Why would a meal be a way Jesus related to these men? 7 ------------------------------------------------------------